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Sunday, September 20, 2009

Easy Peasy DIY Pillow Piping Tutorial

This is my 200th post so to celebrate I want to share with you an easy cushion piping tutorial. I really like making cushions because they are a great way to enjoy your favourite fabric or add some colour to your couch or budoir.

For this tutorial I already had the front and back of the pillow already cut-out and made. The piping and backing fabric are velvet and the front is an all cotton log-cabin affair.

Step 1.

Measure around your the sides of your pillow to work out how long your piping needs to be. I cut 1.5 inch strips of the same fabric I used for the backing. Sew strips together to make the length you need.

Fold the strip around your piping cord (wrong sides together) then use the zipper foot on your machine and stitch as close as you can next to the covered cord. Make sure you use a similar coloured thread as the fabric, and try and keep the edges of the strip evenly together as you sew.

Step 2.

Now sew the covered cord to the top of the cushion cover (in my case the log cabin patchwork). Keep the edge of the cover and the edge of the covered cord together and then you will have a consistent seam allowance. At the start, I ease the piping on and then straighten up to get the edges even, you will see at the end why this works better.

Step 3.

The best way to get around the corners is to clip the seam allowance a little as this will make it easier to shape the corner.

I usually go slow around the corners and use my hand to steady the cord. You can pin this but I it easier to control if I don't pin and just ease everything in place.

Step 4.

When you have sewn the cord all around the cover and you are ready to finish, overlap the start of the cord and sew off the edge of the cover and trim the ends.

This is what the cover should now look like.

Step 5.

Now it is time to sew the front and the back together. Make sure you open the zipper a bit so you can turn it inside out at the end.

Put right sides together and keep the cushion top that you have sewed the piping onto on the top. This is because you are going to sew over the top of the stitching that you have just made to attach the cord.

Again, I use a zipper foot because it allows you to sew as close to the piping cord as possible.

Sew around the cover using the stitching as a guide.

And that is it, you can overlock the edge and turn it inside out. Beautiful.

I hope that it is clear, please let me know if you have any questions.

Also, don't forget the giveaway is still open, just visit the shop and leave a comment here.

16 comments:

Fantastic little tutorial! That pink velour/velvet is soo pretty with the fabrics on the front. I posted my first tutorial today on flickr for some pj pants... Tutorials are labor intensive! Thanks so much for this tutorial, I've never tried adding piping on anything. I will have to give it a try now!

I love the way you did that! Never thought of doing it that way. Maybe that is why my projects with piping don't come out so nice and I always give up on the piping thing.....But I always try because it looks so nice.

Beautiful tute and beautiful cushion. Your fabrics are soo vibrant and beautiful.I am a little confused when I look at the picture of the final seam. the pink fabric seems to be sticking out about three inches. I am not sure whether it is the edge of the piping or the edge of the bottom of the cushion.

Hello and thank you for this great tutorial! I just wanted to let you know I found it quite helpful and linked to it from my blog: http://stumblesandstitches.blogspot.com/2010/02/storytime-pillows.html.

thanks for this clear tutorial. any idea where i can find a tutorial to put in a beautiful covered zipper like your pillow had? all the ones i find have the zipper on the seam, which I don't want since i want to have piping...

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The Little Snoring blog is a place where I bookmark my favourite finds in the design, fashion, style and craft worlds.
I live in Tasmania. I grow a garden, make good kids x 3 and enjoy making jewellery, sewing toys and homewares.
I am also a staff writer at http://www.kidstylefile.com.au.